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How to Fly into Myanmar - Take a Connecting Flight

How to Fly into Myanmar - Take a Connecting Flight

By Wendy Updated Sep. 7, 2023

If you search on Google.com with the keywords of "flight to Myanmar" or "flying to Myanmar" you may get more than 19 million results. This proves to a certain extent that, as a travel destination, Myanmar has become more and more popular due to its long history and rich culture.

However, there are still no direct flights from Europe or the US, and visitors from these regions need to have at least one connection at an Asian city.

General Information

There are only two international airports in Myanmar:Yangon International Airport and Mandalay International Airport.

Since there are no direct flights from Europe and the US, if visitors from these regions want to visit Myanmar, the easiest way is to fly to a regional hub first, such as Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, or Hong Kong, and then take a connecting flight to Yangon or Mandalay.

Currently, Asian routes include direct flights to Yangon from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Beijing, Kunming (China), Taipei, Seoul, Tokyo, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Phnom Penh (Cambodia). Among these staging posts, Bangkok, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur offer the most flights.

However, the number of international flights arriving in Mandalay is considerably less than those arriving in Yangon. There are only direct flights from China (Kunming and Dehong) and Thailand (Bangkok).

Which Airlines Fly to and from Myanmar

Air China Air Asia Air India Air Bagan
ANA Bangkok Airways Biman Bangladesh Airlines China Airlines
China Eastern Airlines Cathay Dragon Emirates Himalaya Airlines
Hong Kong Express Jetstar Korean Air Malaysia Airlines
Myanmar Airways International Myanmar National Airlines Nok Air Novoair
Qatar Airways SilkAir Singapore Airlines Thai Airways International
Thai AirAsia Thai Lion Air Thai Smile Airways Vietnam Airlines

Among the destinations, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Chinese mainland are the most popular countries for travelers to take connecting flights when returning home. The data shows, to some extent, that these countries are more convenient for a connecting flight compared to the other countries, and there are more connecting flights available.

China Highlights, Asia Highlights, and Global Highlights collaborate to provide families and couples with personalized and stress-free experiences in diverse destinations.

How to Fly Into Myanmar

Since there are no direct flights to Myanmar from any Western countries, here are some recommendations of how to fly out to Myanmar from different countries.

From Australia to Myanmar

Currently, there are no direct flights to Myanmar from Australia. But in Sydney, Melbourne, and other big cities, there are direct flights to Bangkok, Hanoi,Ho Chi Minh City, and Kuala Lumpur. From these cities, you can easily connect to Yangon, and in Bangkok you can even connect to Mandalay.

From Sydney or Melbourne to Myanmar, including the flight and connection times, you can arrive in Myanmar in about 13 hours.

So if you take a morning flight from Australia, you can arrive on the same day.If you choose an evening flight, you can arrive in Myanmar in the morning or at noon on the second day.

From Europe: from London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, or Moscow to Myanmar

There are no direct flights from Europe to Myanmar, so at least one connection in another country is necessary.Here are two alternative connection plans: in the Middle East (such as Doha), or in Southeast Asian or East Asian cities (such as Bangkok, Hong Kong, or Hanoi).

Plan A: Faster

The Middle East is in the middle of Eurasia so if you connect there, the average flight time at each section of the trip is about the same. Connecting in Doha, you can arrive in Myanmar in about 13 hours, and the average flight time per stage is about 6 hours.

Plan B: More Comfortable

Connecting in the Asian cities (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Hanoi, etc.), you will have a relatively longer first flight, which is about 11 hours,and then another flight of 1 to 2 hours to Myanmar. The advantage of this plan is that you can have a longer and more comfortable rest on the plane.

London to Yangon

If you fly from London, the best connection with Myanmar is in Bangkok. In this way, you can not only save more time than if you choose other connections, but you can also choose from more connecting flights.

It takes 11½ hours to fly from London to Bangkok, and there isat least one flight every hour from Bangkok to Yangon, which takes about 1 hour 10 minutes. So including the connecting time, you can get to Yangon within 15 hours from London.

The alternative way is to fly to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur first. From London to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, you will spend about 13 hours on the plane, and from these two places to Yangon it takes about 3 hours.

There are at least four flights per day flying from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur to Yangon, so including the connecting time, you may reach Yangon in 17 hours.

From America (USA, Canada, or Mexico) to Myanmar

From America to Myanmar, the best connecting point is in Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or the Middle East. If the city you are flying out from doesn't have a direct flight to the above Asian cities, you may have to change flights on at least two occasions before you arrive in Myanmar.

America has a lot of direct flights to China and Northeast Asia, and as long as the city has connecting flights to Yangon, you can connect easily. But these cities generally have only one or two daily flights to Yangon, so your waiting time for the connection maybe longer.

Let's take traveling from Los Angeles to Yangon as an example. The best connecting cities for this route are Hong Kong and Taipei.

It takes 16 hours from Los Angeles to Hong Kong and 14½ hours to Taipei. Then it takes another 3½ hours from Hong Kong to Yangon and 4½ hours from Taipei. Including the connecting time, you may get to Myanmar in 21 hours at the earliest.

If you take a connecting flight in Doha, you can get to Myanmar in 23 hours. You will spend about 16 hours in the air from Los Angeles to Doha and it will then take another 5½ hours before you arrive in Myanmar.

Connecting Flights and Tours

Except for Asian countries, Myanmar is a relatively distant destination to other countries. In order to make better use of your time and have a more comfortable journey, we recommend you combine your Myanmar trip with tours of other central destinations in Asia that have direct flights to Myanmar, such as China, Thailand, and Vietnam.

China

There are many direct flights from Europe and America to China. If you have never been to China, you can plan a 1- or 2-week trip there before you go to Myanmar. Or, if you have been to China before, you can stop in China for a short stay and then continue on to Myanmar.

Most cities in China have a 72-hour visa-free transit policy (cities around Shanghai can even extend the visa-free policy to 144 hours), so this policy is really good for those who want to connect in China and other Southeast Asian countries.

Thailand

As one of the most popular travel destinations for Westerners, Thailand is also suitable as a connection point between your country and Myanmar. You can spend 3 to 7 days in Thailand and then fly to Yangon from Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

Vietnam

There are some direct flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from some cities in Europe and Oceania.Spending 4 to 10 days in Vietnam first and then flying to Myanmar is a good choice. It is an opportunity for you to discover two completely different Southeast Asian countries.

For more flight and tour information regarding Southeast Asia and China, feel free to ask our travel advisors.

Tips for Connecting Flights

Try to choose flights with the same airline company or the same airline alliance, so that your baggage can be directly checked-in to the final destination.

Try to get connecting flights rather than booking separate one so that the airline can deal with your second flight easily and quickly if there are any delays or a cancellation with your first flight.

Prepare an itinerary with all your flight numbers, dates,boarding times, order numbers as well as the airlines' PNR codes, and present it when you check-in.

In the following situations, your luggage will not be checked-in to the final destination:

  • There is no cooperation between the two companies that your flights are with.
  • The connecting airport doesn't support a luggage check-through service.
  • A luggage check-through service is not permitted by the custom's policy of the connecting country.
  • The connecting interval is over 24 hours.
  • The flights are booked with the same company but are not connecting ones.

Visit Myanmar with Asia Highlights

We provide tailor-made tours to Myanmar. Tours typically start or end in Yangon or Mandalay and last approximately 9 days; visiting Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake.

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